Home / National Park Service Exhibits / Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA) / Archaeology / Contents of a House 21
In this exhibit you will find the remains of an eleventh century pit house excavated on the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park. Although the artifacts displayed here are not spectacular by standard definitions, they are the pieces that when put together, tell the story of who, how, and when people lived here. Casual removal of such artifacts from the surfaces of sites alters the story, so please, leave artifacts where you find them.
- Hearth
This is the excavated hearth (fire pit) within the pit house. The builders of the pit house dug the hearth deeply into decaying limestone bedrock, and within this hearth archaeologists found a stone bead, a bone awl, and a charred juniper seed. The hearth was intentionally filled prior to the destruction of the house, with charcoal, ash, and rock packed in around a large piece of wood placed nearly vertically within it. Additional ash and charcoal was mounded over the filled hearth, with several large limestone rocks then placed over the mound, and over this lay a layer of yellowish, clayey fill and small limestone rocks that had apparently been used to cover the floor. Scientific study of the hearth fill indicates sagebrush and a woody member of the rose family (perhaps cliffrose)were burned in the hearth, as were juniper and pine. A few fragments of bone were also present, likely representing food remains tossed into the fire after a meal, one of which was a mammal—perhaps bison or sheep—roasted over the fire. Prickly pear and yucca may also have been cooked here, as was corn (Zea mays) and perhaps juniper, goosefoot, purslane, ricegrass, and wild licorice, as well as walnuts, acorn, and hazelnut. - Pit House
This pit house on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was home to perhaps four to nine people sometime in the early eleventh to mid-twelfth century (A.D. 1050-1130). Residents of the house appear to have been of the Cohonina archaeological culture, based on ceramic artifacts, with ties to the Kayenta of northeastern Arizona, with whom they traded for decorated pottery, and perhaps the Hohokam to the south, through whom they may have acquired shell and obsidian. The pit house contained a deep floor, a large hearth, and a thick roof, suggesting it was able to keep its residents warm even in the often harsh winter months experienced on the South Rim. The hearth certainly could have generated a large amount of heat for warmth and for cooking relatively large amounts of food. Prior to abandonment of the site, the hearth was filled, the floor covered with sediment and small stones, and the pit house burned, likely by its residents, who took most of their belongings with them when leaving for a new location. Reference: Downum, Christian E. (2011) Archaeological Excavations at Site B:16:105, Grand Canyon National Park. Archaeological Report 1247. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. - Structure
A smaller, rectangular structure was associated with the pit house. This consisted of a small, shallow building built of poles and brush and outlined with masonry. Inside, a large hearth occupied much of the interior, leading to the conclusion that this structure was used primarily for cooking. Analysis of samples taken from within the structure indicate that juniper, pine, oak, and a woody member of the rose family (perhaps cliffrose) were used as fuel, and that maize, prickly pear, and members of the Cheno-Am group(goosefoot and amaranth) were likely cooked as food, as were yucca, mesquite, blueberries, and possibly sheep and bison, as well. - Deadmans Gray Jar Sherds
Pictured here are the remains of a Deadmans Gray jar recovered from the upper fill of the pit house. This vessel may have rested on the roof before it collapsed and represents the most common pottery type found at the site. - Shell
A single shell was recovered from the surface of the site. This was an intact and unmodified Turritella sp. (possibly T. leucostoma) shell measuring 25.73 mm long. - Stone Bead
One of the artifacts recovered from the hearth of the pit house was this stone bead. Sediment still clings to the bead, which was likely made of steatite, a soft stone commonly used for beads in the prehistoric northern Southwest. - Awl
This image shows the two sides of a bone awl recovered from the hearth of the pit house. The awl, blackened from burning, was broken during excavation, but could be refit, as shown here. Made from the metapodial of an artiodactyl (deer species), the awl measured 105 mm long and was decorated with a series of worn and polished ridges on one edge. Awls served a variety of purposes and were used prehistorically the manufacture of clothing, baskets, and sandals. - Projectile Points
Surprisingly, the projectile points (used to tip darts and arrows) recovered from the site are not typical of Cohonina-style points, and instead resemble styles used by earlier peoples (right) and Kayenta or Fremont hunters (left). - Awl, Close View
A detailed view of the worn or polished ridges on the side of the awl recovered from the pit house hearth. - Animal Bone
This is a burned piece of animal bone found at the site. The size and condition of the bone suggests it came from a medium to large mammal that was consumed as food. Other bones were made into tools, including the awl found within the hearth. - Mammal Bone
This is an ulnar carpal from a medium to large mammal, one of the few identifiable bones found on the site. Like the other faunal remains recovered during excavation, this bone was burned. - Polishing Stone
This small, round stone found on the surface of the site may have been a smoothing or polishing stone, tools used most commonly in pottery manufacture. Other ground stone artifacts recovered from the site include grinding tools, such as manos and metates, used to process seeds, corn, and other foods, and abrading tools used in stone tool manufacture and perhaps hide processing. - Corn Impression
Excavations just outside the pit house produced a piece of fired clay with corn (maize) cob impressions. Just a fragment, this piece is thought to have been part of a clay stopper used to seal a jar in which corn was stored; it is likely it was unfired until the burning of the pit house. - Impression, Close View
Detail of the maize cob impression. The fragment was likely part of a clay jar stopper. - Burned Daub
Two pieces of burned daub were recovered from the site. These are remnant pieces a secondary structure with a large shallow hearth, possibly used for cooking. The presence of the daub, as well as the configuration of the structure remains, indicate it was built of small poles and brush perhaps covered with a thin layer of mud or clay.